Teacher's Pets
by Aitrus5
Summary: Gehn makes a surprise visit to the schoolhouse on Riven


Teacher's Pets  
  
Thanks to Sepdet for the title, and the Guild of Linguists for the d'ni translations. Ain't this lanugage great?  
  
  
  
"The minds of the children are much more malleable."  
--Gehn--  
  
It was hot that afternoon. Damnably hot.  
Educator Guildsman Idara wished for the hundredth time that he could take off his official robes, cast aside the trappings of his   
office and dive into the lagoon. He wished there were more ventilation than the small hole in the ceiling. The heat from the lampshades seemed to have no end. Buckets of water and shells stood underneath them. They served as drinking water for the children, and also, if need be, to put out small fires started by the fire-marbles underneath the shades.  
Rivenese children sat silently in the aisles, most of them young this time of day. They helped their families during the day, and came to school before dusk after their chores were done for as long as their teacher deemed them to stay.   
He walked slowly between the benches, nodding in approval or reaching down to quickly pluck a pen from a child's hand to correct a flaw in the lettering.   
The children were writing studiously, heads bowed, ink-stained pens dipping periodically into the wells that sat between each of them.  
An error caught his eye. "No, Jerif, like this." he said softly, kneeling down. The young boy flushed in embarassment, but to his credit, kept his dark eyes fixed on his tablet as Idara showed him the correct spelling of ~rees~.  
"Do you see the difference?" Idara asked. "You nearly wrote you wanted to dissolve the food, instead of eat it."   
The thin boy shrugged. "Yes, Guildsman Idara."  
Idara frowned. The boy did not seem at all pleased with himself at his sudden miraculous comprehension. "Come now, do you, or do you not?"  
Jerif's eyes fluttered from side to side, looking everywhere but Idara's face. The students to his left and right glanced sideways, their silent scratching slowed. Sport was at hand.   
"I...I..." the boy looked around him with a look of despair on his face, then his head bowed. "I do not understand, Guildsman Idara." he whispered softly. "Forgive me."   
Idara silenced the muffled laughter with a quick glare around him.  
"It is all right, Jerif." Idara said, placing a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. "You cannot learn D'ni overnight. If you require extra help, you may see me after darktime at my home. My door is always open to those who wish to learn."  
To Idara's concern, this revelation only served to increase the look of agitation on Jerif's face. "We will talk after the lessons end, Jerif." he said.  
"Yes, Guildsman Idara." said Jerif resignedly. The boy took up his pen once again and dipped it into the inkwell.  
Idara stood and made his way to the central aisle. The sound of splattering ink and children's mocking laughter spun him around.   
Jerif knelt on all fours trying futily to wipe up the spilled inkpot but only succeeded in making a black, oily mess of his sleeves and fingers. A few tears trickled from his eyelids, and Idara saw only anger kept him from bursting out entirly.   
His eyes narrowed as he saw three very innocent looking children burying their heads in their robes and tablets behind Jerif. They were not laughing openly like the rest of the class, but their shoulders were shaking. Obviously the culprits.  
"Kalan! M'dah! Lirn! Stand up!"   
At his barking words, the three stood up slowly. The girl, Kalan, sighed heavily through pursed lips.  
Annoyed, were they, at being interrupted?  
"Kalan, what is the D'ni word for hope?"   
Her eyes blinked, and he could almost hear her mind sifting through information. "~De...deh-vo-kan~?" she said hesitantly.  
"~Volah~. Exactly what you have none of. Sit down. Lirn, what is the word for work?"  
"~Teeg~!" the tall boy said immediately. "I knew that one." he smirked.  
"Wonderful. Then you won't mind working to clean up that mess. M'dah?"  
An arrogant look from M'dah. He was growing up early, judging from the boy's jaw. "Yes, Guildsman Idara?" he said, with just the right amount of respect and sarcasm.  
"If you can tell me the word for what you spilled on the ground, you don't have to clean it up."  
M'dah opened his jaw and closed it again. His eyes frantically studied the alphabet letters lining the wall. "Le..."  
"Yes?" Idara said, cocking his head. "I'm waiting."  
"~Leam~...~Lemah~..." he lowered his head, kicking at the floor. "I don't know." he said gruffly.  
"Then you may get down on your knees and clean up the ~lehm~ that lies there."  
M'dah's mouth screwed up in defiance, and Idara wondered if he was about to be berated by somebody 20 years his age. ~Arrogant and bullying. He'll make a good Maintainer one day. Just like his father.~   
"Yes...~Guildsman~ Idara." The boy made no attempt to disguise his thoughts.   
"Use your robes." Idara said, looking straight at the M'dah.  
His jaw dropped open in an 'o' "But these are my father's!" he stammered. "I...I took them from his chest this morning..."  
"I thought they looked rather big on you." said Idara sternly. "I'll not have pranks and silliness while I am helping your minds learn the glories of the D'ni. I am here to teach, and you are here to learn.   
Is that clear, M'dah?"  
"My father will hear of this!" growled M'dah.  
"I don't care what your father hears. I will refuse your entrance to this school. And how long will your usefullness to your father and to the Lord Gehn last if you can't speak or read D'ni?"  
For a minute, Idara thought M'dah was going to attack him. The boy trembled violently, fists clenched, then slowly walked around the students to his left. They avoided his sharp glare, and he knelt in front of Jerif, who moved away with such speed, it was as if his feet were ablaze.   
"Lirn, Kahlan, help him."   
"Yes, Guildsman Idara!" they gasped as they hurried to comply.  
He faced the rest of the class, who were buzzing with excitement. Anything disruptive was high entertainment as far as they were concerned. Jerif seemed even more sullen, although a hint of a smile trickled along his face whenever he glanced down at the scrubbing forms of his classmates.  
Idara wiped his face again in the sleeve of his robe and sighed loudly. By the master, this was more trouble every day. It was hard enough getting them to speak a different language, teaching their minds to accept that it was the true word, to use it naturally, in everyday life. It was doubly exhausting to teach a language that had as many subtle nuances as D'ni did. It was a wonder he even spoke it himself, he thought daily. At least with reading and writing you could copy the correct phrases...  
"Children!" he thundered over the rising din.   
If he'd been the Lord Gehn, they'd have frozen, not even breathed. But he was their teacher. And so he had to do it again.  
"Quiet!"  
A third time. "SILENCE!"  
The door swung open with a creak.  
The children, still talking, turned to see the newcomer.  
It was as if a fire-marble had snuffed out.   
Instantly, the myriad voices quieted.  
The Lord Gehn, stepped into the room.  
And he had a smile on his face.  
Guildsman Idara felt as if he'd taken a few too many swallows of unboiled water.   
"Shorah, L-Lord Gehn..." he stammered. "This is an unexpected surprise."  
His master shut the door softly behind him. His strange device that spat poison like the rebels was laid on the floor.   
"Carry on, Guildsman." Gehn said calmly. He leaned silently against the back wall and absently spun the upside-down figures on their string. "I am not here to disturb your lessons, merely observe."  
Idara's queasiness did not cease. "Thank you, ~nahvah~." Idara said, emphasizing the word for master. If there was ever a better time to learn ~that~ word.   
He turned back to the classroom. "Let us recite the Words." ~Remember, children...please REMEMBER...~  
Not a single child turned away from the tall figure. Some of the younger ones had mouths wide open like gasping fish, while the older children tried to stare without showing they were staring.   
"Did you not hear the Guildsman, children?" Gehn cocked his head, giving a small smile.   
With a rustle, they returned their looks to the small, sweating man in front of them. A few peeked back anyway.  
They opened their mouths.  
"Gehn is our master." piped a young boy of seven.  
"Gehn created us." said M'dah's deepening voice, ink stained fingers clenching in embarrassment.  
"Gehn defeated Atrus." spoke Jerif softly.   
Idara's pounding heart nearly burst out of his chest.   
He looked over their shoulders at the Lord Gehn, who nodded silently in approval. Idara felt he was blessed to recieve that much.  
For the rest of the day, he went through the basics, things he was sure to many children wouldn't make mistakes on. Basic number recital, pronouns, simple phrases and sentences, a little history.   
Gehn stood in the darkened hallway, watching the class for nearly three hours. His presence made Idara stammer with every other sentence and generally feel quite miserable. He paced relentlessly, hurrying in and out of the aisles. He mopped his head with his sleeve once more, yammering on about the blasted Kings and great Ages that he'd never see and couldn't do justice in description. ~Damn this wortheless fiery hut! I don't care if I feed the whark this night, I've got to end this class now before I faint.~  
"Why did you create us?"  
Idara's world dropped out from under him. ~WHAT?!~ his mind shrieked. He whirled around at the head of the classroom and stared as one with the rest of the schoolroom.  
Of all people, it was Jerif who had stood and looked back at his lord and master. The small boy who's wrists were thin as baby whark tusks lifted his chin questioningly.   
Idara saw his master shift unexpectedly, in response to the question. The skin stretched tight against his skull looked at the child.  
"Why do you ask?"  
"My lord, the child means nothing, it has been a long day-"  
"Silence, Guildsman." said Gehn, never looking away from the boy.  
He seemed to appraise the boy. "An interesting question...what is your name?"  
"Jerif, Master Gehn."  
"~Nahvah~, Gehn" Gehn smiled, gently rebuking.  
Idara froze.  
"~Na-vah~ Gehn." Jefif paled.  
"It is all right, Jerif." Gehn said gently, more for Idara's benefit, than for Jerif.  
He walked to the front of the classroom, through the center aisle. He looked down on either side.   
The children were awed and terrified. Most of the time, they had only caught fleeting glimpses of him in their lives, and his face was repeated countless times on the Imagers, but those had ceased to have an impact long ago. This was tantamout to having a whark surface next to you while spear-fishing.  
Gehn turned and surveyed all who beheld him. Idara slowly made his way along the wall to the rear of the classroom, not wanting any attention to fall upon him when the creator of their very world was rewarding them with an audience.  
"Why did I create you, Jerif?" Gehn repeated the question. "The creation does not often presume to ask that of his creator. Why do you ask?"  
Jerif looked down, pursing his lips. "I...I just want to know."  
"Commendable." Gehn nodded. "Please believe me when I say you can ask anything you wish here. We are, after all, in a house of learning."  
"...All right." stammered Jerif after a long pause. "Um...why Riven? All we've been hearing about is the greatness of D'ni, the wonders that lay within it's walls, the reign of thousands of years, the vastness of it all..." His voice rose as he spoke. Idara looked at him in astonishment.   
"And?" prompted Gehn. Idara cringed at the hint of annoyance.   
"Why would you need to create us?"  
"Ahhh..." Gehn nodded slowly. Well, well. Tell me, Jerif, do you draw?"  
Jerif blinked. "Ah...yes."  
"And why do you?"  
"I..." his face frowned inward. "I've never really thought about it."  
"Well, think about it." Gehn said. "All of you, think about it. Why would anyone draw something? After all, it serves no real purpose."  
A child raised his hand. "Yes, you there."  
"Because you like the way your drawing looks?"  
"Yes, that is part of it." Gehn chuckled. "You desire something in your mind, and you commit it to paper. Your hands commit to the paper what your mind conjures."  
"Like when you made our world?" Lirn said from the back.  
"Yes." Gehn nodded, smiling.   
"So you simply wanted to make a world like Riven?" Jerif said, cocking his head.  
"I have written many, many worlds besides Riven, Jerif. This one is just as beautiful as the others in it's own way."  
"What's the name of one?" piped up a child of six.  
"Oh...ah...er...Inception." Gehn said awkwardly, much to Idara's confusion.   
"It sounds wonderful." said Jerif wistfully.  
"Not as beautiful as this Age, I assure you." Gehn said hastily. "Enough of this. Jerif, to answer your question fully, I wrote this world, because I desired too."   
He stood straigher. His voice boomed, washing over them like a wave.   
"The D'ni are lords of thousands of worlds, rulers of millions of lives. By teaching you our ways, and our culture, we are bringing you a wonderous new way of existence, a greater understanding of the universe, and..."  
Idara stood taller, knowing he was doing his part to further the D'ni cause. He suddenly grinned proudly, puffing out his chest.  
"...the ability to carry the D'ni Way to others."  
The children were now thouroughly entranced. This was the reason why they learned. This was why they existed.  
"You have other worlds like this one?" Jerif pressed. "So why do you stay here?"  
Gehn smiled, but his eyes were cold. "Guildsman Idara, are all your students this inquisitive?"   
Idara paled and opened his mouth, but Gehn waved his response away with a fluttered hand.  
"Jerif, do you know what causes the tremors? The shaking of the islands, the dying of the fish, the terrible storms?"  
Jerif shook his head, confused.  
"Well, I do." Gehn gritted his teeth. "It is the Betrayer."  
"Your so-" Jerif closed his mouth.  
"Yes, Jerif, you may say it. My son."  
"What does your son have against our world?" asked Kahlan. The other children leaned forward.  
At this, Gehn slumped inward. A sad look rolled across his face. "He has turned against the D'ni Way." Gehn said sorrowfully. "Sadly, he is corrupted. He conspires against me and the people of Riven. The disasters plaguing this Age are the result of his...~meddling.~"  
The children looked sad. The young ones pouted. They felt sorry for their Lord.  
"And so you stay." Jerrif finished.  
"Yes." Gehn raised his arms to encompass the rapt class. "I stay so that I may counter these disasters. I work to better your lives, to rise you up from the simple villagers you once were. For I do not abandon my creations, so long as you remain devoted to me and to the D'ni way."  
Idara suddenly felt like a speck of dust on a whark's back. Was he merely once a thought in his man's head? Truly, the D'ni were wonderous.  
"Thank you, Lord Gehn." Jerif said without inflection. He sat down once more.  
The class murmered with excitement. This would be a day long discussed in the future. Gehn listened to the crowds of conversation, nodding his head absently, taking all of it in, storing it for future reference. He waved Idara over, and Jerif watched as they spoke for a few moments. He noted with alarm that a few glances were directed his way. After a few moments, the Lord Gehn stood.   
"And now, Guildsman Idara, you may dismiss the class for today. I would speak with young Jerif here."  
"Me, my Lord?" Jerif blurted out without thinking.  
Idara stood, facing the class. "Children, we will reconvene tomorrow afternoon. I want you all to think about what you have heard this day. Such wisdom and knowledge comes to us but a few times in our lives. Let us all thank the Lord Gehn for visiting us this day."  
"Shorah, Lord Gehn!" they all chorused. Gehn nodded his thanks, and waved for the children to go.   
They shuffled out, glad to be free of the hot confines of the schoolhouse nonetheless. Idara could hear the submarine whirring as it chugged away to the village.   
He shut the door.  
"Now, Jerif, come, sit besides me." Gehn said. He walked over to the rear of the room and sat down on the last bench.  
Jerif stood, trembling, and nearly fell over as he made his way to where his creator sat, staring at him with pale eyes.  
"Jerif, you are an intelligent child. Unusually so for your age. Wouldn't you agree?"  
"Ah...well, I...Lord Gehn, I do not profess to be.."  
"Yes, yes, I understand. You don't wish to seem arrogant in front of the others. Guildsman Idara here tells me that you are being bullied, picked on."  
"It...it's nothing to bother you with, my Lord."  
"Nonsense. Do they call you names? Push you around? Tease you?"  
"....Yes." Jerif said after a long pause. He looked down, ashamed.  
"Why do you hang your head, boy?" Gehn asked.  
"Because..." Jerif looked up. ~I will not cry, I will not cry~ "Because I am not worthy to burden my lord with my problems."  
"Ah, Jerif." Gehn chuckled. "You are no burden to me. Indeed, I have been keeping an eye on you."  
Jerif's eyes widened. "You have, my lord?"  
"You are a smart boy, Jerif. Idara and the other Educators speak very highly of you. They tell me you are strong in your beliefs, in the D'ni way. Are they wrong?"  
Jerif looked in disbelief at Idara, who smiled and nodded. "I...I guess not..." the boy's shy eyes fell downward.  
"Those three who bullied you. Why do you think they do so?"  
"Becausee they are fools! They don't care? I don't know!" cried Jerif suddenly. "Why won't they stop?!" He clapped his hand over his mouth.   
"It's all right, Jerif." Gehn said softly. "I know exactly how you feel. People your age can be mean and cruel, for no reason other than the fact they don't know any better."  
"I hate them!" Jerif spoke to the air, not looking at his lord.   
"They know you are different from them. Wiser. Intelligent. More in touch with the D'ni way. You have dreams and ambitions, don't you Jerif?"  
Jerif opened his mouth, hesitating.  
"Go on." Gehn said, smiling. "What do you like to do?"  
"Well...I...I like to explore." Jerif began slowly. "I...I made a boat." he said sheepishly. "It's an ugly thing..."  
"I'm sure it's a very nice boat." Gehn said. "Do you sail very much?"  
Jerif's eyes grew wistfull. "Yes, I do. Any chance I get. I love to see new things...the different islands, the ones nobody goes too. I take notes. I draw." He laughed. "Once I saw an entire school of wharks swim right underneath me!"  
Gehn's eyes widened. "It is a wonder you are still here, Jerif! The Great Whark does not take kindly to strange Rivenese in boats." he chuckled.  
"Yes, I was very lucky they did nothing." Jerif laughed with his creator. "I want to explore the world more than anything, my lord. Maybe one day I'll sail away and see what became of the Great Tree." He looked at Gehn suddenly. "Was that your son's fault?"   
Gehn beamed. "You ~are~ a smart boy, Jerif. That is exactly what happened. He took away the most potent symbol of Riven, after he struck it down with lightning."  
Jerif nodded. "I thought so."   
Gehn tapped his cheek, looking thoughtful for a few minutes.   
Idara mopped his brow once more. It was cooling, the evening sun setting slowly into the horizon. The light from the lamps grew stronger in the fading sunlight, blanketing the room with whark-shaped shadows.  
Gehn leaned out of the shadows, his eyes bright. Jerif, more at ease now, waited with only a hint of fear.  
"How would you like to be apprenticed to the Guild of Surveyors?"  
Jerif nearly fell off the bench. "Lord Gehn?!"  
"Would you like that?"  
"I...I...but I am not of the age."  
"Oh, rules can be changed. Words rewritten." Gehn smiled. "You could explore all you want. That is what the Surveyors do. They chart new lands for me, cataloguing new plants and animals that are found. They bring anything of interest to me.   
"Lord Gehn...this is too much of an honor..."  
"You will wear the offical robes of a man bearing your station. There are other benefits as well, Jerif. You will be an...authority to those who are not of the Guilds."   
Jerif blinked at that.  
"That's right, Jerif. You'd never be bullied again. They won't touch you, wouldn't dream of harming one of the Guildsman. Even a guildsman's apprentice."  
"I...Lord Gehn..." he stammered.   
"Good, then it is done." Gehn nodded firmly.   
"But...my father..."  
Gehn raises his eyebrows. "Your father? What bearing does he have on the matter? ~I~ am your lord."  
"He will not...he will not be pleased." Jerif cast his head down in shame once more.  
"My boy..." Gehn said firmly. "What did your father tell you to do about the bullying?"   
"He...he said to ignore it, and eventually, they would stop."  
"And did it?"  
Jerif's voice was a whisper. "No, my lord."  
Gehn's voice turned sad. "I'm sorry your father told you that."  
"No!" Jerif looked up. "He said that because he loves me, and doesen't want to see me hurt!"  
"Well, I'm sure he meant well, but the fact remains, they continue to beat you. With my edict, you will no longer have to worry about them ever again."  
Jerif nodded glumly. "He still won't like it. In fact..." he glanced at the fast fading light coming through the door. "He's going to be even angrier when I get home this late."  
"Your parents don't like it when you come home late?"  
"No." Jerif sighed. "Once the tide went out, I lost track of the day, and couldn't get back home. By the time I did, nearly a whole night had passed."  
"A harrowing experience." said Gehn solemnly. "What did your father do when you came home?"  
"He...he hit me. For making him worry so much."   
Gehn's eyes widened. "He beat you? Just like your classmates?"  
"Well..." Jerif thought. "It's only because he loves me. I've never done it again."  
Gehn shook his head. "I wish I had known this sooner. I'm sorry you have had to put up with all this, Jerif."  
Jerif felt like his world had dropped clear down to his toes. He blushed. "I do not deserve all this, my lord. I'm just a boy."  
"Well, now you are a Surveyor!" Gehn grinned, clapping him on the back. "Come, Jerif, smile with me! This is a glorious day for you!"  
Jerif finally grinned back. The reality of the past few minutes was beginning to hit him fully.   
"Lord Gehn?"  
"Yes, Jerif?"  
"I...I thank you for this undeserving honor...but how can I ever repay you, a god?"  
"Ah, Jerif, I need no thanks. Your continued devotion is enough."  
"No." Jerif blinked. He'd just said no to his Lord. He pressed on. "No, I want to do something for you."  
"Well..." Gehn sighed. "I must admit, I do have an ulterior motive for coming here this day."  
"You did?" Jerif said in disbelief.  
"Yes. I came to talk to you about your father, in fact."  
"My father?"  
"Yes, Jerif. Tell me, do you seem him as often as you used too?"  
Jerif thought hard. "Well, I have been sailing alot these past few months. I don't see him as often as I like."  
Gehn leaned forward in his bench, his eyes narrowing. "Think hard, Jerif. Has he been gone in the night lately? Have you noticed anything?"  
Jerif screwed up his forehead. "I don't hear him snoring much anymore. He snores tremendously." he chuckled lamely. "I guess that could mean he was actually not in bed."  
"Where do you supposed he could be?"  
"I don't know." Jerif said slowly. "I suppose doing some night fishing..."  
"At this time of the year?"  
Jerif shrugged helplessly. "I'm sorry I can't help you more, my lord."  
"What does he think of me, your father?"  
Jerif gulped. "I don't really know, my lord. He doesen't speak of you much."  
"And when he does?"  
Jerif gave him an frustrated look, opened and closed his mouth several times, but whether it was directed at Gehn or the man who was waiting for him to return, Gehn did not know.   
Jerif sighed loudly and looked away, scratching at an itch distractedly, all but answering Gehn's question.  
"It is all right, Jerif. I am still proud of you."  
"Proud of me, my lord?"  
"Yes. Very few children of your age would be intelligent enough to see the world as it really is. To see the D'ni Way so fully at such a young time in your life. To witness how hard I work to bring understanding and order and saftey to the Age of Riven. You, an explorer, can see beyond the walls of your village."  
"Me?" Jerif said.  
"Yes, Jerif. You." Gehn spoke firmly. "That is why I have named you an apprentice to the Guild of Surveyors."  
"My Lord Gehn." Jerif bowed.  
"And it hurts me, Jerif, to know that some of the people whom I have known from birth, people whom I have protected and slaved for and given every ounce of my existence to create...have turned against me."  
Jerif looked up. "The Moiety." he whispered as if they would overhear.  
"The Moiety." Gehn breathed softly. He was angry now. "Those fools who would destroy what I have worked so hard to create. My tireless efforts to help the people of Riven damaged by those who turn against their creator."   
Jerif's eyes widened. "My Lord Gehn, are you in danger?"  
Gehn lowered his gaze. "I do not worry for myself, Jerif. After all, I am a god, am I not? But...the village looks to me for protection. I try and help them...but sometimes they do not listen." He sighed. "It is hard to be D'ni."  
"I wish I could help, great lord." Jerif said, longing in his voice.  
Gehn placed an hand lightly on his shoulder, fingertips lightly brushing his clothing. "You can, Jerif."  
"I fear your father is one of those who does not listen...he may be...helping the Moiety."  
Jerif gasped. "No!"  
Gehn nodded sadly. "It pains me to say it. But your father has been leaving your house nearly every night these past few months. To where I do not know."  
"How...how do you know?" Jerif was appalled.   
"I see all, Jerif. You know this." Gehn said firmly.  
"I...I..."  
"You must help me, Jerif." Gehn said urgently. "By helping me, you can help your father. We can...school him in the D'ni way."  
"But...my father would never..."  
"I would never have thought your father would beat you for returning from doing what you love most." Gehn said softly. "I would never think one who truly loves his son would tell him to merely be silent when his head is getting shoved into the dirt. He has changed."  
Jerif moaned and put his head into his hands.  
"Your father is nearly lost to us, Jerif." Gehn shook his head sadly. "I had hoped that he would see the error of his ways on his own, but sadly, the Moiety have nearly claimed him. But there is still hope."  
"I...you won't hurt him?" It was a plea for mercy.  
"Then you'll help your lord?" Gehn asked. The hand on his shoulder was firm.  
"Yes, Lord Gehn, I'll do anything!" Jerif babbled. "I want my father to live the D'ni way as I do! I'll get him back! I'll help him!"  
"Excellent!" hissed Gehn. "My boy, you are a wonder of D'ni writing.   
"What do I do?"  
Gehn spoke firmly. "You only have to follow him whenever he leaves his home. Keep quiet, don't make a sound. When you discover where they are hiding, make a mark on the trees with your knife. A whark symbol. Make several back to one of the trails. Then notify one of the Maintainers. They shall do the rest. You go home and we shall speak later."  
"And they won't hurt him?" Jerif said. Tears brimmed in his eyes.  
Gehn smiled fondly. "No, Jerif. The Maintainers will help him to see the error of his ways, bring him back to the D'ni way."  
"I hope so." Jerif sniffed. "Lord Gehn...perhaps you could make him a Builder? He loves to work with his hands..."  
"We'll see." Gehn said curtly.   
"I...I thank you, Lord Gehn. For everything." Jerif looked up at the shining face of his D'ni master. "You will save us all."  
"I know, my boy...I know." Gehn smiled benevolently. "Shorah. And be brave It is the D'ni Way."  
The smile curled wickedly as Jerif left the room with a spring in his step.  
Idara came out of the shadows. Gehn flinched, then relaxed. "Don't sneak up on me, fool!"  
"I apologize, my lord." bowed Idara. He nodded to the door. "Do you really think he will do it?"  
"If not, then I at least have another Guildsman in my ranks." said Gehn. "He'll make a fine Surveyor. School of wharks, indeed." he chuckled.  
Idara sighed. "I know my lord is wise in all things, but does it really have to come to this?"  
"Either I get at the Rebels by uprooting everything in the village, wasting Maintainers in fruitless chases...or I bring them down from within." Gehn growled. "When I learned that the fool traitor had a son, I made inquiries...and here I am."  
"Not that I question my lord's decisions..." Idara added hastily. "But why do you hunt them with such zeal now? A few years ago you would have brushed them off as leaderless rabble."  
"That, Guildsman, is because they are no longer leaderless." Gehn said quietly. He stood.   
"My lord?" Idara's face reflected confusion.  
"Katran has returned."   
Idara gasped. "Truly!?"  
"Yes." murmered Gehn softly. "And she is with the Moiety."  
"Then the rumors are true!"  
"Rumors usually contain some merit of truth."   
"Perhaps Jerif will lead the Maintainers to her."  
"Perhaps." Gehn said, absently. "But I doubt it."  
"He is a good boy." Idara said firmly.  
"Yes..." Gehn looked up, eyes flashing. "So was she, when you recommended her for copying."  
Idara flushed in embarrassment. "Lord Gehn, how could I have   
kno-"  
"You are lucky I never strung you up on the Gallows, Educator Guildsman Idara." Gehn spoke, his voice scalding.   
"Now leave me."   
Idaara picked up his notes and fairly ran out the door.   
Gehn sat and idly toyed with the dangling man on the string, above the wooden whark's jaws. Jerif would follow his father deep into the heart of wherever the Moiety lay...and then...?  
~Thin-blood~  
~Who-man  
~No-dunny~  
~You must be brave, Gehn. It is the D'ni Way~  
He pulled on the ring and watched the whirring numbers flash by. Awe was the best educator. Awe and fear. But sometimes, you had to use pity. He'd learned that at least from Atrus.   
He nodded his head knowingly at what number flashed on the tray when the rolling stopped.  
The D'ni number Five.  
A sign, indeed.   
The doll dropped into the whark's jaws, and Gehn smiled at the sight.   
"Safe journey, my boy." he spoke to the air.  
"Safe journey."   
  
  
The End 


End file.
